The present invention is directed generally to a device for covering the release button on the female buckle of an automotive seatbelt for preventing a child from releasing his own seatbelt yet allowing the seatbelt to be quite easily released by an adult.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and crippling injury for children in the United States. Every year, approximately 650 children under age five die of injuries sustained while riding as passengers in automobiles. Another 50,000 children in the same age group suffer injury severe enough to warrant visits to an emergency room. It is thought that if every child under age five were placed in a child restraint device for every car ride, mortality could be cut by 90% and serious injury by over 65% when accidents occur. Studies from the State of Washington over a ten year period indicate that a child who is harnessed in a child restraint device, or even with an adult seatbelt, has a 1 in 3000 risk of being killed in the event of a crash, whereas the risk for a nonrestrained child jumps to 1 in 200.
Simply placing a child in a seatbelt will be ineffective, however, unless the seatbelt remains latched and on the child throughout the car ride. Because conventional seatbelts are rather easily disengaged by simply pressing a release button on one of the buckle portions, young children of approximately one and a half years of age can easily figure out and disengage the seatbelts. On the other hand, they are not old enough to understand that the seatbelt should remain engaged for their safety. Accordingly, there is a need for a device which can be attached to a conventional seatbelt buckle for blocking access to the release button by a child. The same device, however, must be easily actuatable by an adult for disengaging the seatbelt.
Many child restraint devices are designed to be held in place on an automotive seat by the conventional seatbelt. Such devices can be rendered useless and dangerous if a child seated in the device can disengage the seatbelt. The unsecured child restraint device simply serves to support the child at a higher elevation and becomes another projectile in the event of an impact.
A primary object of the invention therefore is to provide a child safety seatbelt securement device adapted for at least partially covering the release button of a female seatbelt buckle to prevent disengagement of the seatbelt by a child, yet which is easily actuated by an adult for disengaging the seatbelt.
Another object is to provide such a seatbelt securement device which is easily installed on conventional seatbelts.
Another object is to provide such a seatbelt securement device which is simple and rugged in construction, economical to manufacture and efficient in operation.